said that Christ himself came to John, and requested it of John.
John refused it to the Lord. The Lord said: “Suffer it to be so now,
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness;” and John
suffered him. Why do you say that I can not prove it with John’s
baptism? for Christ himself requested it. The bishop made but little
reply to it. I said: I will show you still more Scriptures, that
it belongs to believers, as the eunuch to whom Philip came. Philip
said: “Understandest thou what thou readest?” He said: “How should I
understand it, except some one instruct me?” Philip preached unto him
from the beginning, and he believed it. He said: “Here is water; what
doth hinder me to be baptized?” Philip said: “If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mayest.” The eunuch replied: “I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.” Then he baptized him. (Acts
8:37) Here we see that faith was before baptism nor was he a child.
Further, in like manner also Paul was baptized, when he had become a
believer. Pray, read the Acts of the Apostles through. The bishop said,
they also did want to baptize such adults that had not been baptized
in their infancy, as the heathen or Tibbites, who were not baptized in
their infancy; hence they would also baptize adults, for he said that
it was written: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”
Though faith is mentioned before baptism, it is all the same; hence
children must be baptized: for there are many that do not become so old
that they attain their reason; hence they certainly die without baptism
and are as certainly damned. Children must therefore be baptized, that
they may all be saved. I said, that the children are in the hands of
God, and baptism does not pertain to them, for there is no Scripture
which declares that it does. Had it been the will of the Lord, he
would have commanded it; but now he has commanded that the believers
are to be baptized, as he taught, and as his apostles practiced. Hence
prove to me with the Scriptures, that it is commanded to baptize poor
innocent infants, which have done no sin; for though I had never so
many children, I would not have them receive your baptism. He said,
though it was not commanded to baptize children, neither was it
forbidden to baptize them; hence there is no Scripture prohibiting it.
I said: “All that the Lord has not commanded he has forbidden. Hence,
if he has commanded to baptize the believing, men ought not to do
differently from what the Lord himself has commanded, for we everywhere
read of a baptism of repentance, and not of a baptism of infants, as
you teach and do. Why do you do that which ought not to be? For it
seems to me that you know better; tell the truth.” But he made me no
reply to it; except that I was seduced; if I adhered to this faith I
would be damned; hence I should betake myself to the holy Catholic
faith. And we had many other words, but it grew late, and he went out,
and said to the castellan, that there was no hope for me, and that I
would not suffer myself to be instructed; and told me to consider the
matter further. I said that I wanted to do that; but in this respect I
have already considered; but do you consider it, I pray you.
ANOTHER CONFESSION OF REYTSE AYSESS, MADE BEFORE AN ARROGANT PRIEST;
TOGETHER WITH AN EPISTLE OR EXHORTATION TO THE FRIENDS.
Shortly after there came a priest, who was very arrogant; he asked me
what I had determined with regard to the letter which the bishop had
sent me. _Reytse._ “I have determined even as I said to you the last
time. For by what he writes I have not been made weaker, but stronger,
he foolishly writes that no sin hinders or prevents a man, and that we
may observe the Supper with whores and rogues, and that also no sin is
so great that it can prevent a man; all of which he wants to prove with
the eighth chapter of Mark, where the Lord fed the great multitude.”
_Priest._ “What do you want to prove thereby? O how blind you are!”
He became angry, and would not understand Scripture, but blasphemed
and spoke very ugly, and said that I contemned and rejected the Lord’s
death with my second baptism. But I said that I did not contemn the
Lord’s death, but deemed it good; “for, if I should confess this as
you say, woe would be to me; for I do not recognize your baptism as
a baptism, since there is no Scripture for it. But with your infant
baptism, you reject Christ’s sufferings and death, for Christ has
redeemed us; but you say that the children are damned, which you cannot
prove with Scripture. But those who live in sin, who, the Lord says
shall not enter into the kingdom of God, these you say are saved;
drunkards, covetous, and fornicators, and whatever sins they may do,
who the Lord says shall not inherit the kingdom of God, these you say
are saved. But the poor children, who are already saved, as the Lord
has said, these you say are damned. Is it not a lamentable matter
that you are so blinded? Hence wake up once, I pray you, for it will
ruin you.” He said that I had a faith like a Turk. I said: “What is
the Turk’s faith?” He said: “The Turk believes in a piece of wood, or
in whatever suits him.” I said that they [the papists] believed in a
piece of bread, which they held up as God, worshiping it, and falling
upon their knees before it, and regarding it as God. Likewise, the
idolatrous infant baptism, is that any better than the Turk’s faith?
He became angry, and reviled us much, and did not think that we were
the right people, I said: “If I should tell you what I consider you
to be, you would not like it.” He said tell it. _Reytse._ “Well then
I shall tell you; I consider you the vile world, the congregation of
the dead, and heathen and Turks according to the spirit, and that you
are alienated from the life of God (Prov. 21:16; Eph. 4:18); and as is
written concerning you in Daniel 12, and in Revelation, so it shall be
found in the day of the Lord. Repent therefore, and come out from her,
that ye be not partakers of her sins.” (Rev. 18:4.)
Then he arose and hastened away, but I overtook him in another room,
where we conversed for a little while about infant baptism and other
things. Finally he said that he could not remain any longer, since he
was to stand godfather to a child, I begged him not to do it; “for”
said I, “The child is as good as you can make it.” He said that he
would do it, nevertheless. He also spoke much about the war, and about
the Gueux,[337] that their cause was a bad one, and that we aided them
with money and property. I told him what he said was not true; for we
did not want in any wise to defend them with money or blood, “for
I think nothing of the Gueux, neither of you, for you cannot stand
before God, miserably as you are betraying and slaying one another.
However, the Gueux are not as bloodthirsty as you are, for if they had
apprehended me, they would let me go, but you want to shed my blood.”
He became angry and said: “You desperate miscreant, should we not kill
you? we should not be able to answer before God, [if we should allow
to live] such a heretic as you are; for we do so much running on your
account that no money could hire us to do it; hence you shall here
receive the temporal fire, and hereafter the eternal, because you will
not suffer yourself to be instructed, as much as we have done for you.”
[337] _Beggars_, a sobriquet of the Reformed.
I talked to him very gently, but he said that I had the devil in
me, and that he transformed himself into an angel of light, and had
seduced me, that I could not remain in the true way. _Reytse._ “I have
no devil, but I speak with a free and glad heart.” He reviled much;
adducing no Scriptures but only saying that they had done much for me,
and were always on the run to win my soul and save my life, and now
there was no prospect that I would renounce my heresy; hence the bishop
had to cut me off, as was right. _Reytse._ “I never desired that you
should come to me, and you may stay at home for I do not wish to hear
you, nor to believe you, and you might have saved all your running, for
the reward which you earned by me will not be great.”
Finally he spoke about praying, and boasted much of his praying; he
said that he prayed more in one week, than I in three months, and he
had much to say about praying, and that Christ prayed in the temple.
I said that he was like the Pharisees, who boasted themselves so much
of their praying, and stood in the temple, and on the street corners,
to be seen of men. And in all your words you are like them; hence take
good heed how you boast, for a tree shall be known by its fruit; for
I do not like your fruit. He said that I had the heart of a Pharisee,
and he their clothes; which is the better. _Reytse._ “No; it seems to
me you have both, the heart and the clothes, for the Lord did not act
thus, neither did his apostles lead such a life, nor have such clothing
in their time, as you have, which is contrary to the Scriptures, hence
take heed what you put on, for I beseech you to repent, for you cannot
stand before the Lord with your faith, nor with your walk, nor with
your church, for which you want to be responsible in the day of the
Lord. Finally he went away. I told him to tell the bishop that he did
not need to come again on my account, since I would in no wise hear
him. He bade me good-day, and they brought me back into prison. About
three days after, a messenger came from the bishop, and said that I
should hear my sentence in three days from that time. On the appointed
day they came, and transacted their business, as they understood it,
and passed judgment upon me, being very pompous and verbose in their
sentence. When, they had finished their business, they went away;
but there remained a priest, who reviled much and talked improperly
and unfitly. I would not talk with him, because they had delivered
me over, and also because he spoke so ill and unseemly. Then he went
away. A considerable time elapsed before I wrote this down, for I could
not well recollect it because of my fellow-prisoners. And my memory
also is rather short; some remarks I have forgotten; and if I were to
write all, it would be far too much, for I have been before the bishop
and his colleagues eleven times at least, and I talked much with them
concerning all the articles of the faith.
Written by me, your beloved brother in the Lord.
REYTSE AYSESS.
AN EPISTLE OR EXHORTATION OF REYTSE AYSESS, WRITTEN TO THE FRIENDS.
O dear friends, fear not, neither be surprised, when you are tried
by manifold temptations which may come upon a Christian, and also do
come upon him in bonds and imprisonment, as I now find, it is grievous
according to the flesh, but very light according to the spirit, for
it is the power of God. This I have experienced in these bonds, that
the Lord is with those that seek and fear him from the heart. Hence,
my dear friends, who have received like faith with me, fear the Lord
from the heart, that if it should be the Lord’s will to have you here
in such bonds or imprisonment, you may be able to withstand, for they
employ much craftiness and subtlety, to draw us away from the truth,
and they know how to exalt lies, and abolish truth, with feigned words
of their own devising: sometimes with very gentle words, and sometimes
with harsh ones, by which they think to weaken and discourage one, as
they have done with me. And also Satan, as Peter says, walketh about
us as a roaring lion, seeking where he can devour us; so he has also
assailed me, but the Lord has hitherto kept me, for which I thank him.
But Satan once assailed me with a temptation which I must write to you,
to show you how crafty the evil One is. I once spake with a priest,
who reviled us and said that they sang the psalms of David, while we
sang hymns which men had made. And when I came back into prison, the
tempter very craftily assailed me, that it was true, that we did sing
hymns which men had made. And I was grieved that I should suffer, and
it might be wrong, and I was still young in years, and it grieved me
much. Finally I thought: I know better; I know that the hymns are made
from the holy Scriptures, and that it is right; if I could do according
to them, I should be saved. Then I reflected on the priest’s walk,
and on their faith, and on the things which they had spoken against
the holy Scriptures, which are lies, and I entreated the Lord, and it
entered my mind no more. Hence, dear friends, Satan is very crafty;
but we must always pray the Lord in every assault which he makes upon
us, in manifold temptations, for the almighty, eternal, merciful God
will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, as he has spoken (1 Cor.
10:13); for he is our Captain, our Champion in all our distress. And
do not fear though they place me at the stake, and burn me; but be
strengthened thereby, that the Lord is still so powerful in his works;
and always fear him, and praise him, and thank him, now and forever.
Amen.
I further thank those who sent me that book, for it delighted and
rejoiced me much in the Lord; and I commend all of you who fear him to
the Lord.
ANOTHER CONFESSION OF REYTSE AYSESS, MADE BEFORE THE COMMISSARY.
After I had been imprisoned nineteen weeks, I was brought before the
commissary of the royal court, who first demanded an oath of me, that
I should tell the truth. I said: “The Lord has forbidden us to swear
in any wise; hence I do not want to take an oath.” Then he said that I
should answer to his questions with yes and no. I said: “I do not want
to do this, for you might ask me something which it would not be proper
for me to tell; hence I must first hear what you want to ask me.” He
then first asked me my age. I answered: “Twenty-four or five years.”
He wrote it down. He further asked where I was born, where I had last
resided, and how many children I had. I said: “One.” _Com._ “How old
is it?” _Reytse._ “Half a year.” _Com._ “Is it baptized?” _Reytse._
“No, not that I know.” _Com._ “What is the reason that it has not been
done?” _Reytse._ “Because it is not commanded in the holy Scriptures.”
_Com._ “Are you baptized?” _Reytse._ “Yes, upon my faith, as Christ has
commanded.” _Com._ “Were you not baptized in your infancy?” _Reytse._
“Yes, but I do not recognize that as a scriptural baptism.”
He wrote it all down. He asked me who the one was that had baptized me,
where it had taken place, and who and how many had been at my father’s
house. I said: “I do not want to tell you this; I hope you will not ask
me concerning it. If you thirst so much for the blood and life of men,
you have me in your hands; do with me according to your pleasure, I
shall by the help of the Lord freely offer my neck for it; but I hope
of your grace, that you will not question me so severely in regard to
it. He said they should indeed question me more severely yet; hence you
better tell me voluntarily, than involuntarily. I said: “The Lord my
God will keep me, for this I trust his grace.” And after he had written
down everything, he told me to go.
A LETTER FROM REYTSE AYSESS, WRITTEN TO HIS FATHER.
Dear father, some time when it suits you, write me something concerning
your intentions or purpose, as to where you intend to live, and how
your temporal affairs stand, also in regard to my sister, and also some
consolation, for this rejoices me much.
I further inform you that there are now two other prisoners with me;
they are old men, and we agree tolerably well; for they have been
confined with me for about a month, and we have spoken somewhat of the
way of the Lord. They are willing to exchange that which they have for
something better, and they think that they need salvation as much as
I do. They have indeed formed the good resolve, to live no more unto
sin, but to be transformed into newness of life, which I am glad to
hear; but God knows the heart. I further let you know that one evening
the colonel’s wife came before the prison, just as we were about to
be fed. She therefore first asked how many prisoners there were here.
They told her. Then she asked what their crimes were. Then one excused
himself, as best he could. She then asked me, what my crime was. I said
that my crime for which they held me was not very great. She had heard
of me, and said I should suffer myself to be instructed by those who
were wiser than I. I said, I would suffer myself to be instructed with
that which was right. She further said that people said that I did not
believe in the Father, nor in the Son, and also not in the Holy Ghost;
which I earnestly contradicted, and said that I thought much thereof,
and that my faith was resting thereon, and that if I did not believe
in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I should not be worthy to
live. Then she inquired what it really was. The castellan’s son said
that I did not believe in the mass. Then she became angry, and I said
that I did not believe in the ordinances of men, as, namely, infant
baptism, and their sacrament--that the blessed Lord was not present
in it, but I believed that he was in the throne of eternal life. She
became angry and said that if their were no executioner, she would
rather put me to death herself, than that I should live. And she gave
the two prisoners that are with me seven stivers, and forbade them
to give me anything of it, and warned them, that they should not
allow themselves to be seduced by me, and went away. Furthermore,
dear father, deliver to my wife, at the first opportunity, the letter
which I have written her, and exhort her to that which is good, this I
affectionately pray you, and all my dear friends; my dear old mother
above all, and my two sisters, and my young brother, that he conduct
himself well, when he gets a little more understanding; and also my
poor child, for whose poor soul I am so greatly concerned, that it may
please the Lord. But I hope the Lord will take it into his kingdom,
before it commits sin. Walk in love. Eph. 5:2. Further, dear father, I
would desire a Testament, if you could send me one; for I have had our
brother’s Testament for a very long time, and he needs it himself, and
has it now again.
Written in my bonds, by me, your dear son.
REYTSE AYSESS.
A LETTER FROM REYTSE AYSESS, WRITTEN TO HIS MOTHER.
My dear mother, I wish you the gracious, eternal, merciful Father, and
the love of God, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, as a greeting; and
the Father of peace rule in your heart. Amen.
My very dear and affectionately beloved mother, who bore me in your own
body, and brought me into the world with great pain, yea, whose breasts
have nourished me and who nourished and instructed me in all truth, you
have kept me from all sinful companions; yea, you have kept me from all
false doctrine, yea, you have kept me from the whore of Babylon, yea,
you have brought me into the church of the living God. You have kept me
from all sin, according to your best ability. You have brought me thus
far with the help of the Lord. Behold, my very affectionately beloved
mother; it is therefore my entreaty and request of you, that you will
not fret and grieve on my account, for I hope that you have not brought
me up to the reproach, but to the praise, of God and his church. After
all proper salutation, it is my request and entreaty of you, that you
will forgive and excuse me, if I have in any wise grieved you, whether
it may have been done in my youth or ignorantly, this I request of
you. Further, my dearly beloved mother, I must write you a little from
the bottom of my heart and the inmost of my soul, though you know it,
and are taught of God, and are my dear mother, yet I write to you that
in none of us there may be found an evil heart of unbelief, and that
none may be entangled by the deceitfulness of sin, and depart from the
living God on account of any tribulation. 2 Peter 1:12; John 6:45; Heb.
3:12,13.
Behold, my dear, beloved mother, let us not be troubled, or become
despondent; though they have touched you in property and blood
[kindred], fear not, but be of good courage, for the Lord is our
Redeemer. Behold the afflictions of Job, how the Lord helped him. And
behold the end of the Lord; for the Lord will not forsake you and me,
if we trust in him, for the Lord has helped me to fight, for I have
now been before them twelve times. The Lord is my Captain, he will not
forsake me. Nor do I want to forsake him, neither for life nor death.
Hence, my dear and much beloved mother, let us go to and sincerely
prostrate ourselves before the Lord, for all our lives end in death,
and when we shall all be presented before the judgment-seat of Christ,
what manner of persons must we then be. Therefore, my beloved mother,
who have obtained like faith with me, let us prepare ourselves, and
gird up the loins of our mind. And let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the
race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; and we shall receive a reward Heb. 12:1,2; 1 Cor. 3:14.
Dearly beloved mother, though they have touched you in your property,
and me in my life, what does it matter. The Lord our God will help us;
but we must trust in him. The world shall rejoice, and we shall be
sorrowful; but our sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20. But,
dear mother, we must patiently wait for it. Though they speak evil
of us, dear mother, they treated the Lord our God in the same manner
before us.
Hence I am not surprised; they have condemned me so often; yea, [have
said] that I shall here receive the temporal fire, and hereafter the
eternal; yea, that the devil is in me. Yea, they say: That if they did
not put such as Douwe Eeuwoutss and I out of this world, they should
not be able to answer for it before God. Hence, dear and beloved
mother, fear not, for they know no better. But let us heed our lesson,
for the Lord demands and requires more of us, than of them; hence
let us take heed to the correction and chastisement, and receive it
patiently and joyfully; and we shall receive a reward, for whom the
Lord chastens, him he will receive. But if we are without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are we bastards, and not children.
Hence, my beloved mother, I rejoice from the depth of my heart, that
the Lord our God has so loved me, as to have called me hereunto, that
I may be found Christ’s sheep for the slaughter. And I hope by his
great grace and mercy, that he will make me fit, and shall receive me
into his kingdom, as he has promised those who seek him from the heart.
See, my very dear and beloved mother, let us not despise the correction
of the Lord, but patiently receive it; and we shall receive a reward.
Yea, hereafter all sorrow and tears shall be wiped away from our eyes.
Yea, we shall stand upon mount Zion, with all the saints of God. Behold
what great joy is prepared for them that have obeyed God. Therefore,
dear and much beloved mother, let us take up our cross, and follow him
from the heart, as dear children, that we may not be blotted out of the
book of life. My love, we must be holy and unblamable before him in all
our conversation. Our words must be seasoned with salt, as Paul says;
that we may be able to stand before the almighty eternal God. Further,
dearly beloved mother, as you have shown all love to me, it is my
request of you, that you will love my dear, beloved child as you have
loved me, as I trust you will do, and have a mother’s heart for it.
O dear mother, take in good part what I have written here, for it has
been done out of love.
Know, dear and much beloved parents, that in the eighteenth week of my
imprisonment I was before the bishop, where were assembled at least
eight or nine persons. The bishop spoke first, that I should betake
myself to the holy Catholic faith, and he should set me at liberty; and
other words that he said. If I would not do this, they would cut me off
as a heretic and an obstinate and disobedient person, who is opposed
to the ordinances of the Roman Church. Finally I opened my mouth, very
joyfully, and said: “Do what you will and can answer for before God,
for I do not want to forsake my faith, for either death or life.” They
said that I should advise with myself, or amend, since eternity was so
long. _Reytse._ “Because eternity is so long, therefore I want to take
heed; if eternity were not so long, I would not sit in these bonds.”
Finally they asked me all the articles anew, and I confessed them. Then
they read the sentence to me, but I did not understand it well, as it
was written in Latin. It was: That they delivered me over as a heretic,
who would not suffer himself to be instructed with the ordinances of
the holy Church; and they gave me over into the hands of the judges;
together with certain documents pertaining to this matter. Finally I
sat there with uncovered head, and defended myself with many remarks,
speaking joyfully, that they should take heed not to bring harm to
themselves by laying violent hands on me. The bishop said that he would
rather fast two weeks with water and bread, than pass sentence upon me.